Lake Powell is one of the prettiest places in the country, hands down. The giant red rocks are sandwiched between the crystal blue waters and bright blue skies. In the summer you can watch the bright white clouds billow and merge together for spectacular summer storms. It is one of our favorite places.
Our first trip was in the summer of 1998. We’d moved from California to Arizona a few months before and were excited to try this new place. Little did we know it would be love at first sight. It was easy drive, albeit a 5-hour one, straight north. We came through the last climb and after a couple bends in the highway we could see the lake. Even from that far away, it was huge. We stayed at the Lake Powell Resort at Wahweap Marina. The rooms were perfect for our little family of four. It’s not a super fancy resort but is exactly what you’d want and expect. We couldn’t wait to get the boat in the water and it was a restless kind of sleep. You know what I’m talking about, like your birthday is the next day excited restless kind of sleep.
We’d been told of the majesty of Lake Powell but we were not prepared for its vast beauty in person. There is a pretty view of the lake from any spot of the Wahweap compound area. They’ve thoughtfully placed benches along a meandering path where you can stop, sit and take it all in. The setting sun turns the red rocks into various colors of orange and deep red and you can see lightning off in the distance. But this beauty pales in comparison to seeing it all from the water.
We “hotel camped” for the first several trips. Paper plates, bowls, silverware and an ice chest made breakfasts and lunches easier and cheaper. Jeff and Kevin were six and four respectively on our first trip so an endless amount of food was necessary for any and all trips. The only way to make it affordable was to bring most of it with us. Mark chatted up resort staff to find good restaurants in nearby Page for dinners.
We made lunches and snacks and packed up the boat for our first day on the water. The water around Wahweap is open and wide but once you venture up the lake, the tall canyon walls narrow and completely change the look. There was something new and more dramatic around every turn. Boats look so small next to the huge walls that line the lake. We “found” things on the tall rocks; an eagle’s face and a submarine and even a map of the United States.
Looking at a map of Lake Powell, it’s really a long skinny lake with a lot of fingers over 140 miles. The mid-channel markers denote how many miles you are from the dam and are important for navigating in and out of the many canyons.
That first day our plan was to take in all we could. We went in and out of many canyons. Face Canyon was our favorite. The mouth is narrower than the main channel but wide enough for two or three boats to comfortably tow a skier with a lot of extra space. As we ventured deeper into the canyon we discovered several little coves, one with a super tall hill of sand. It was the perfect place to stop and play. The boys had a blast running up and down the hill then crashing into the water; each time going higher up the hill. Back in the boat we went to see just how far back this canyon went. We went back as far as we could; it was breathtaking. The walls in some spots were slightly over vertical. We expected the water to be shallow because it was so narrow but our depth finder read depths of over 40 feet. We continued exploring this giant new playground and got back to the marina tired from a fun day. Back in the hotel room, I put a big star next to Face Canyon on our map.
The next day we packed up and headed out to see the famous Rainbow Bridge. It was at mile marker 49 so this would be a long ride. We stopped along the way for a swim around the boat and the boys looked for animals with binoculars. We slowly motored down the canyon and made the left turn where we were greeted by this giant natural sandstone bridge. The water was high so it was a short walk. The pictures don’t do it justice; it is spectacular. There is a tour boat that can take you to Rainbow Bridge as well. It is definitely a “must do” for any Lake Powell trip.
After three years of hotel camping we started camping at the State Line campground at Lake Powell in our shiny new Winnebago Class C. We were fancy now. The campground is set up well for RV’s towing boats. The sites are long and wide with nice views of the lake. There are many straight and slightly curved pull through sites and the back-ins are surprisingly long. It’s a quick drive to the State Line launch ramp. The only drawback is there are isn’t a gas station or a marina to park your boat overnight. Those are only at main launch ramp near the Wahweap launch ramp, which is just over a mile away. That is a long walk back to the RV pulling ice chests on a hot summer day. It’s easier to launch and pull out everyday. Once back at camp we’d hang our beach towels along the boat to dry for tomorrow’s adventure, shower, grab a cocktail and watch the kids play. Four-square balls, Razor scooters and Frisbees would magically appear and the kids would be laughing and having a great time. As the kids got older, the toys and games changed. Now the post-lake game of choice is a boisterous game of Cornhole with chairs lined up to appropriately taunt the players. Our group was always at least two RVs and many times we shared meals. There is just something about a campground potluck; the food always tastes so good.
The pool at the Wahweap Resort is open to all campers from the campground and is a fun way to end a day on the lake. You can walk to the pool along the meandering path or ride the resort shuttle.
The campground is a wonderful melting pot from around the world. Lake Powell is part of The Grand Circle which encompasses several national parks and national monuments. Families from all over the world, Europe especially, rent RVs and spend months traveling the American Southwest. We’ve had some wonderful conversations with families curious about our set up and about our life in Arizona.
On the water coves are plentiful. Many of the coves are large enough to accommodate several boats. We strive to be good neighbors and anchor at least 20 feet away from another boat so as not to crowd anyone. Many times we share a cove with a houseboat. We aren’t shy and Mark would strike up conversations with many of our house-boating neighbors. Oftentimes we’d go back to the same cove the next day. We’d collapse our EZ-Up and fold our chairs for the night and every single time they were still there the next day. We’d offer to fetch things from the marina for our new friends in the houseboat and they would keep an eye on our chairs in the event of a thunderstorm. The most popular items to fetch were ice and a deck of cards.
A long weekend trip to Powell was always inked on our summer calendar. Some of our best boating trips have been to Lake Powell. The boys refined their skiing and wakeboarding skills and battled it out with their cousins on dueling tubes. We’ve climbed the sandstone to take in the wondrous sight of whatever cove we were in. We celebrated Mark’s July birthday several times. No matter how big or small our group was, there was always fun to be had.
Looking back at all of our Powell pictures shows that they have grown up at the lake. From little boys to young men. We’ve missed the last couple of years, it is time to go back. See you this summer, beautiful Lake Powell!